Unrighteous Indignation

I went to a football match yesterday.

All right, it wasn’t just any football match – it was the FA Challenge Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool. It is, apparently, a showpiece for English football; the pinnacle of the domestic football season … which is why it kicks off at 3pm the Saturday after the domestic league season has finished. Except it didn’t. Both Liverpool and Chelsea still have 2 remaining league fixtures to play. There was another premiership game played on the same day as the FA Cup final – and an almost full programme of matches the day after. To make sure that the Football Association got as much money as they could from selling the television rights the match was scheduled to kick off at 17;15 – despite the knowledge that this would mean there would be no trains back to Liverpool for the thousands of fans who would want to go and cheer on their team in London.

This might lead some people to think that the FA Challenge Cup had been devalued. Quite the opposite it would seem …. 3 weeks ago I was at Wembley Stadium for the Semi-final. I paid £50 for my semi-final ticket. My ticket for the final cost £85 – and I was in almost exactly the same seat (except 6 rows further back!) The Wembley Stadium debt will be paid off in no time …

£50 ticket – expensive but, hey, it’s the semi-final.

This view, despite being less central and further back, cost 70% more than the semi final..

The build up to the match was the same as usual (except we now have an american-style announcer who extiolls us all to cheer on cue and ‘smile for the camera’.

We sing ‘Abide With Me’ – led by a pretty girl in a nice frock (I’m being deliberately patronising there – hoping for irony, but it’s not my strong point)

The teams get led out onto the pitch to shake hands with the guest of honour (presumably a member of the Royal Family but no, not this year. This year it’s Sir Jimmy Armfield. A proper footballer and, by all accounts, a nice bloke.)

Then we sing the National Anthem. or, rather, we don’t.

Despite having had music and banal comments blaring into my ears for the previous hour, I was completely unaware that another pretty girl, in another pretty dress, had actually started singing. Not that it bothered me, I’d never sing the national anthem at a football match. Why should I? What’s it got to do with football? I wouldn’t boo (as some did) … but I certainly wouldn’t join in singing.

Anyway, the match kicks off and, shortly under 2 hours later, Chelsea , by virtue of them having scored more goals than us, were awarded the FA Cup. Well done them, commiserations us.

We walk back to the car – as the tube was rammed – and turn on the radio ready for a ‘fan phone in’ of come sort, hoping that it would confirm our own thoughts that Carroll should have started the match but that, if we’d played the first 60 minutes like we’d played the last 30, it would have been a very different game. Oh, and there was the ‘did the ball cross the line’ debate for which we were hoping for a definitive answer.

We got none of that. What we found on the radio was the tail end of a phone in all about the fact that some Liverpool fans had booed during the National Anthem. But, not to worry, we were told as listeners, because the subjext/phone in was going to be continued in the next programme….

Such despair. such utter futility. Liverpool fans are often accused of being paranoid. well, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you …

The following programme (Stephen Nolan’s show on BBC Radio 5 Live) invited calls from both fans who booed and people who wanted to react to the situation. A number of fans rang in with reasons why they, personally, had booed:

(I’ll paraphrase)

1. “I am not a royalist and wanted to protest that this family bloodline still had power in today’s democracy”

2. “It was in protest aimed at the Football Association at the ridiculous kick off time which has resulted in me having to pay for an hotel as there are no trains home”

3. “Chelsea fans were disrespectful during the minute’s silence to commemorate the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster, this was a protest against that”

4. “In a time of real austerity for the country, it was a protest against the millions of pounds being wasted on celebrating some German woman’s jubilee”

5. “What’s the big deal? We’ve always done it”

What, I hope, is clear, is that people had their own reasons for doing what they did – it wasn’t orchestrated, or organised – it just happened. Given that I was paying 60% more than I had 3 weeks previously for a worse view I might well have joined in if it had been an organised protest against the Football Association. And there’s the point – it was a peaceful, non-violent protest. Nobody got hurt (apart from some sensibilities in the home counties, presumably) and it didn’t cause anybody any inconvenience.. Her Majesty The Queen clearly thought the event was of such significance in her jubilee year that she didn’t bother to attend – she didn’t even bother to send one of her distant family relations to represent her. There’s no reason why she should, it was a football match, and it is as irrelevant to her as she is to it. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against The Queen. I’m neither a royalist nor a republican. The royal family cares as much about me as I do about them. I can understand playing the national anthem at international games involving England… but at club matches? Whatever. A non-violent protest was made by small groups of individuals.

I was quite surprised, then, when ‘Richard from Basingstoke’ came on the radio. He initially preached world peace (he would, apparently, happily stand next to a Scouser, or a Geordie, or a Manc, even an Arsenal fan) but then quickly went on to suggest that he was “appalled and disgusted” at the lack of respect shown by Liverpool fans to the National Anthem. He decided to use the sad fact that 2 British servicemen had died the previous day in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, to berate us further and heap indignity and shame upon our collective scouse heads. Did we not realise that “those 2 brave boys died yesterday because they’d sworn allegiance to the Queen and had sworn to protect the National Anthem?”

Well, Richard of Basingstoke (and all those who agree with him), I hate to burst your bubble of unrighteousness indignation but no, that’s not why they died. That’s not why they died at all.

In the purest sense, they died defending the democratic right of people like me to be able to protest, peacefully, about things which concern me. And it brings shame on YOU, Richard of Basingstoke, to try and use their tragic deaths to make your own petty point.

Richard of Basingstoke suggested that, if we felt the need to protest against the FA we should have booed during ‘Abide With Me’ instead but as one scouser remonstrated; “We couldn’t do that; that’s a hymn!!!” I hate to break this to you, Richard of Basingstoke, but as far as I am concerned God trumps the Queen any day of the week!

If booing the National Anthem is really so dreadful and disrespectful, maybe we’re all being disrespectful in not giving the anthem its due honour by only singing the first verse. I call upon Richard of Basingstoke to start an immediate campaign to show true respect to the monarch (and his/her national anthem) by singing ALL the verses. Just in case you weren’t aware there were other verses, I’ve reproduced the first and second verses for you below (and there are another three):

As you can tell, Her Majesty likes nothing better than sitting down with a can of Stella to watch the footy …

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1. God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us;
God save the Queen!

2. O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies
And make them fall;
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all!

There is much to get upset and indignant about in this country of ours … the booing by some fans of the national anthem is not one of them.

When the Chelsea fans booed and interrupted the minute’s silence in memory of the 96 who died at Hillsborough… was there a national radio phone in? No.

When the malevolent idiots at Football Association who ramped up the ticket prices by fully 70% claiming the market laws of supply and demand (when they control the supply) chose to ignore the advice of train operators, travel operators and fans and schedule a match to kick off at a time when THEY KNOW some fans will be unable to get home … was there a national radio phone in? No.

When some Liverpool fans decide to exercise our democratic right to protest in a peaceful manner … was there a national radio phone in? Yes. it’s apparently national news and the primary subject of 2 national radio phone-in shows.

there is something nice about a crowd going through the silly rituals in unison – and something nicer about crapping on the establishment’s insistence that we do this out of respect for an anachronism.
the anti Scouse prejudice is still there in the media, that’s clear to all neutral westerners like me…
but lets settle one thing we can
it wasn’t an anti-scouse linesman – the TV view down the line definitively does not reveal the back of the ball to clear the line created by the posts, bar and goal-line (all the same width) – not by quite a way.

but like you I feel if they can mess with the nice clear and unifying effect of 3.00 clock, end of season exclusive, ruining the traditional national understanding about the FA cup, then they, the powers that organise, are going to have to expect that the other sillier traditions get trashed.

OK, to go by your logic, don’t you think it’s OUR democratic right NOT to remain silent during one of those hundreds of occasions every year when the Victimpool fans observe a minute’s silence to show respect to the “victims” of the Hillsborough “disaster”? Because WE feel it was their OWN fault, and there’s nothing to feel sorry about them who we have no relation with? Because there are far worse tragedies taking place all over the world which are worthy of silence?

By “we”, I mean those conservative, religious, royalist, patriotic, educated and civilized Chelsea fans living in the great posh southern city of London.

I can’t let this pass, however…. Hundreds of times? It was all OUR fault?

What has become obvious ti me over many years is that there is no point trying to educate people who have already made up their minds about the Hillsborough issue; they prefer to remain ignorant because ignorance is bliss – and they don’t have to address the real issues…

By the way, PERSONALLY I would never shout “murderers” during the minute’s silence, even though I don’t agree with forcing everyone to observe this. My point was, it was as much of a democratic right as booing during the national anthem. So, just because something is a democratic right doesn’t mean it is acceptable behaviour.

James, I think you’ve missed my point – this wasn’t about the rights (or wrongs) of the act itself; rather that the media chose THIS issue to be the subject of 2 national radio phone-ins when there are many other (including football related) issues more deserving of air time.

And I wouldn’t want this to degenerate to a ‘booing the anthem is worse than interrupting a minute’s silence/no it isn’t/yes it is” thing so I hope nobody jumps on your comments!

OK, I’m sorry for apparently missing your point, even though I think many would agree you have made it slightly difficult to get your point by going to some length to mock the queen and the national anthem, of whom and of which many of us are very proud.

Moving on to your original point, the media tends to highlight the topic they feel most people will feel strongly about. Judging by my Twitter timeline yesterday, the debate around the booing of the national anthem at our national stadium on the occasion of the oldest football tournament in the world was a much discussed topic.

I’m a red and personally I think they’re both deplorable acts of disrespect, and I think the whole anti-royalist argument is an ignorant one considering how much money the Royal Family bring in to the economy through tourism and the like. A moral condition of going to sports games is that you observe minutes silences and at least respect the national athems that are sung by others if you do not wish to join in yourself.

“When the Chelsea fans booed and interrupted the minute’s silence in memory of the 96 who died at Hillsborough… was there a national radio phone in? No.” Well, if you mean was it referred to on all the news and match reports, and in phone ins afterwards then the answer is Yes.
And FYI, a small number chanted during the silence, despicable in my eyes, but what could we do that wouldn’t make it worse? Waited until the ref’s whistle and then booed and hurled abuse at the perpetrators as did many Spurs fans. Unfortunately the whole minutes silence/appreciation thing has become almost epidemic those days and given the animosity between our respective clubs these days, the impact on Chelsea of having to play on Sunday prior to a huge CL game and the impact of a late kick off on all day drinking, it was entirely predictable.

It seems that many people view freedom of expression to mean freedom to say what I like when I like without obligation to respect or attempt to understand other people or their POV.

I appreciate your point, Ramzi, but I don’t remember the behavious of (some) Chelsea fans being the subject of a) a BBC football phone-in and b) a BBC news programme phone-in, unlike the behaviour of (some) Liverpool fans. Nor was there a national media outcry about the Cup Final itself kicking off at a time that meant LFC fans couldn’t go home, nor was there a media outcry about ticket prices being hiked by 70% … I hope you understand that my post wasn’t about Chelsea FC, nor their fans, it was about media bias and balance. Congratulations on your FA Cup win and good luck in Germany 🙂

Leo, No I wasn’t taking it as an attack on Chelsea fans, but I took the opportunity to try and paint a different picture to that portrayed in many parts of the media. I suppose my point was i think we tend to be far more aware of or sensitive to comments about our own club… I thought the disruption of the minute’s silence at our semi got a huge amount of coverage for example

There seemed to me to be (once it was widely known) a lot of publicity and dismay about the specific transport problems for LFC fans on Saturday. But the rocket scientists that run (ruin?) our game were never going to actually change a decision to help the mugs sorry fans like us were they?

Get really angry when people bring soldiers into these arguments:
a) how does he know he is speaking for soldiers? Perhaps he was a soldier himself, but sure he’d have mentioned it if he was!
b) of all groups least well served by Queen and Country, wounded soldiers and the widows and families of those killed in action are way up the list!